North Attleborough, Massachusetts

"The North Attleborough Public Library was established in 1889, by the North Attleborough Union Improvement District, which turned its library over to the town."[15] Today the Richards Memorial Library is located downtown, and is a member of SAILS Library Network, a network of libraries in Southeastern Massachusetts.[16] In fiscal year 2008, the town spent 0.77% ($572,874) of its budget on its public library—approximately $20 per person, per year ($24.49 adjusted for inflation to 2021).[17]

• Angle Tree Stone
• Emerald Square
• North Attleborough Town Center Historic District

North Attleborough is represented in the Massachusetts House of Representatives by Adam Scanlon (D-Attleboro) as part of the Fourteenth Bristol district, which also includes sections of Attleborough and Mansfield. Scanlon won the 2020 election after incumbent Elizabeth "Betty" Poirier (R-North Attleborough), having served since 1999, announced she would not run for another term. In the State Senate, North Attleborough was represented by Becca Rausch (D-Needham) as part of the Norfolk, Bristol & Middlesex district, which included the towns of Wayland, Sherborn, Millis, Norfolk, Wrentham and Plainville as well as sections of Natick, Wellesley, Needham, Franklin and Attleborough.[18] Rausch won the seat after defeating the incumbent, Richard Ross (R-Wrentham) in 2018. Due to redistricting, the town is now represented by Paul Feeney as a park of the Bristol and Norfolk district.

On the national level, North Attleborough is a part of Massachusetts's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives represented by Jake Auchincloss (D-Newton). In the United States Senate it is represented by Elizabeth Warren (D-Cambridge) and Ed Markey (D-Malden).

Until 2019, North Attleborough has had a representative town meeting form of government, with an elected board of selectmen and a town administrator appointed by the selectmen. On April 2, 2019, North Attleboro voters approved a new structure for town government, a town charter creating a "strong" city manager that will replace the Board of Selectmen and a nine-member City Council replacing the 135-seat Representative Town Meeting. The new charter went into effect on July 1, 2019, following a June 18, 2019 special election for town council.[19]

Little Red Schoolhouse

The Town of North Attleboro has a robust public school system. The North Attleborough Public School District runs 8 public schools and has a total enrollment of approximately 4,000 students. The current superintendent is John Antonucci. There are 7 elected School Committee members. Students are also part of formal School Committee proceedings. In 2019, the school department expenditures were $60,745,000 with a per pupil average expenditure of $13,850.

In April 2018, citizens voted and approved a $6.5 million increased tax levy after the town's budget needs were lagging. The tax override was, in part (approximately 40%), to increase funding for the public schools. Even with the fiscal conservative history of the town, the override passed with 57% of voters approving the measure. The town made immediate investments to advance school infrastructure projects and staffing, public safety and community services.

Massachusetts has the nation's top-ranked public schools, and North Attleborough Public Schools (NAPS) has received high marks for Academics, Quality Teachers, College Prep, and Health & Safety, according to niche.com and other sources.

The following schools make up the North Attleborough Public Schools:

• The Early Learning Center (Preschool)
• Amvet Boulevard School (Grades K–5)
• Community School (Grades K–5)
• Falls School (Grades K–5)
• Joseph W. Martin Jr. School (Grades K–5)
• Roosevelt Avenue School (Grades K–5)
• North Attleborough Middle School (Grades 6–8)
• North Attleborough High School (Grades 9–12)

The town is home to one Catholic K–8 school, Saint Mary-Sacred Heart School. The nearest private high school is Bishop Feehan High School in Attleboro, a Catholic high school.

Interstates 95 and 295 meet just over the Attleborough line, and both run through the town. Each interstate has one exit within town. The town is also bisected by U.S. Route 1, which runs through the retail and downtown districts. Massachusetts state routes 120 and 152 also run through town, as does the "middle" portion of Route 1A, which begins in the town.

The town is set equidistantantly between the three nearest Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority stops, in Mansfield, Attleborough Center and South Attleborough. The Greater Attleboro Taunton Regional Transit Authority provides bus services between the local towns and cities. The nearest national-level airport is T.F. Green Airport in Rhode Island, approximately 23 miles away, and the nearest international airport is Logan International Airport in Boston, approximately 42 miles away.

The North Attleborough Police Department is located downtown in the old H.F. Barrows Manufacturing Company Building at 102 South Washington St. There are three fire stations, located downtown on Elm Street just off Route 1, Allen Ave behind Emerald Square Mall and on Route 152 in the eastern portion of town. There are also two post offices, downtown (using the 02760 ZIP code) and in Attleboro Falls (02763). North Attleboro also uses 02761 for post office boxes located downtown.

The Balfour Co. Building in North Attleboro was a branch of the L.G. Balfour Company, a jewelry company that employed many residents of Attleboro and North Attleboro,[21] and is a significant part of the town’s history. The building, left abandoned for decades, is a prime example of urban blight in the town and was often regarded as the town’s biggest eyesore,[22] as it was incredibly run down and dilapidated. In a 2014 attempt to begin revitalizing the town, developers expressed interest in the Balfour building and plans were underway to build a new apartment building and bus stop in its place.[23][24] However, after an initial overhaul of the area’s infrastructure, such as water mains and streets, the developers pulled out after being unable to finance the forty million dollar revitalization.[22][25]

In 2017, Boston Realty Advisors secured a loan that will allow them to completely develop the area of the old Balfour building into a Class A apartment complex that will have 193 units and 11,500 square feet of retail space.[26] This mixed-use zoning / development allows for one development to house different functions—the new building on 21 East Street will have a gym, restaurant, retail space, and shuttles to MBTA stations in addition to the apartments.[26] This transit-oriented development places residents close to public transportation, which reduces travel times. Both the mixed-use development and the transit-oriented development combat urban sprawl, which is all too common in the Boston-Providence suburbs. The new apartment complex will not only bring large amounts of tax revenue to North Attleboro, but create new Class A, a type of luxury apartment, that will bring in high-income tenants.[27]

Though this infill of an old, abandoned building is beneficial in many ways and a useful response to blight occurring in the town, an oversight by planners and developers regarding the drainage of a swamp that used to exist beneath U.S. Route 1 shifted environmental burdens towards neighboring, lower-income households. The new building at 21 East Street has shifted drainage and flooded nearby homes, according to residents.[28] In spite of these complaints, the town gave the developers permission to open two of three buildings, while they have sixty days to address the drainage problem;[28] this issue raised concerns and questions about the role of municipal governments in overseeing such large and impactful projects.